Frankly, I did not have much expectations with the remake Coolie No 1, which has Varun Dhawan-Sara AlI Khan in lead roles. Somehow, the trailer did not create the right vibe about the film. Still, since the Judwaa remake, which yet again had Varun stepping into Salman Khan's shoes, was a decent attempt in bringing back the magic of the original, I felt maybe this time too, Dhawans may have hit the button. Alas, nothing of that sort happened.
Coolie No 1 lacks its original's main element, and that's the HUMOUR. Varun and Sara try hard but sorry guys, it is such a lame attempt at recreating the cult. Having grown up watching Govinda's 'No 1' films, this remake doesn't even come close to what Govinda, Karisma Kapoor and late Kader Khan did.
It's always a challenge to make a 2.0 version of something which has won million hearts already, and that's why the risk of failing at it is higher too. I did not have unreal expectations from this remake, and was certainly not hoping for it to be as good as the 90s laughter riot. All I wanted was that a David Dhawan film be a total paisa vasool and entertainment unlimited. Coolie no 1 doesn't check either of the boxes.
David Dhawan's direction falls flat and it's just sad to see how the King of comedy goofed up with his labour of love. Another worrisome thing about the film is its music. None of the tracks fit in well and do not please the ears, more so.
Sara Ali Khan had the tough job to reprise Karisma's role. The young lady disappoints and how. She is going overboard with her expressions and the dialogue delivery is just all over the place. Varun Dhawan is sincere in his efforts and at a lot of times tries hard to bring Govinda's tadka on the screen, but doesn't reach the heart. Paresh Rawal as the greedy father is just like his usual self in any of his other films. I missed Kader Khan. Shikha Talsania, why would you agree for this role after Veere?
Overall, Coolie no 1 is an extremely weak film, with average performances, bad humour and sloppy direction. I don't know what Govinda and Karishma will have to say after watching it. So, please skip it and watch the original once again, if you have to. I'll give it 1.5 stars and say it's absolutely Blahworthy.
Image Source: Imdb, instagram/coolie_no1, youtube/amazonprimevideo/SpotboyE
Image Source: Imdb, instagram/coolie_no1, youtube/amazonprimevideo/SpotboyE